Basically, my philosophy is to give the components a chance to really do their stuff, and one can only do this if they are provided with the proper and optimal environment to really prove themselves (albeit with some tuning and "tweaking"). My componets have not changed for 6 to 7 years except for the recent purchases for another transport and CDP.
I'm also a "wood" person; I avoid metal, glass, rocks and stones and what not...I remove all screws on the
componenrts...basically, screws function to choke off the sound and make the sonic presentation tight and etchy..I guess somewhat "old school" in this regard.
Here's a run down and commentary on my set-up, and it's got Canadian tube masterpieces
from Roger Herbert at Wyetech Labs:
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Source:
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CEC TL-1x transport with Reference Audio Mods Premium Mod package
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Tandberg 3015A 16 bit cd player (pure discrete Class A with no op amps).
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DAC:
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Zanden Model 5000 Mk 2 (personally hand delivered to me to Korea from
Osaka by Yamada-san in the very early days (2001)
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Preamp:
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Wyetech Labs Opal (Serial no. 18), with quad of Telefunken 6SN7A tubes
topped with Shun Mook tube resonators
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Passive preamp:
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Zanden (Not released and available (yet), not sure if it will be -- I got a beta
model from Yamada and it's amazing how a pasive component still maintains
the house signature sonics
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Amp:
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Wyetech Labs Topaz Serial no. 13 (recently traded in to the latest 211C model
back to using 211 triode from the previous unreliable Svetlana 572-10 triodes
(when the amp was Topaz 572B) -- I'm now now using Western Electric 211B
and Telefunken RS-237 output tubes
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Speakers:
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Merlin VSM-M (not using the BAM module, basically tone control/equalizer --
yuk!)
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Cables:
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Custom made with various strands and gauges of Western Electric vintage
solid core copper cables made by Shun Mook -- these cables are tunable and
they are the best in my experience -- I've tried mountains of cables over 6
years of studying, exploring and comparing and these are truly special
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AC conditioning:
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(isolation) transformers made by a blind man in Japan who use to make these
"tweak" transformers for vintage Oracle turntables.
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Lots and lots of Shun Mook mpingo room acoustic treatment, use of various hardwood such as
maple, ebony, bubinga, cherry, etc; and also use lots of softwood -- mostly violin boards of various
species of spruce, cedar guitar boards and birch wood
C-37 violin lacquer to treat wood, component internals such as caps and circuit boards, on the
speaker drivers, etc. -- you must explore this lacquer...amazing stuff. You'll be floored once you
apply this lacquer on CDs (label side) too. The old Italian masters would go all the way to the
Balkans and get the best spruce wood in the old Yugoslavia (now Bosnia area) where the best
spruce wood are. And then the most critical element was the lacquer and Stradivarius' genius
really was in his secret recipe lacquer to bring the spruce wood to life in his violins and cellos. I've
totally covered my custom made maple rack with C-37 lacquer.
Room treatment (ceiling corners) and diffusor (the orange one in the middle of the room in front of
the seat is a spruce version replicated from the famous vintage ART Diffusor).
Two long faces (he and she) sculptures made from one large solid piece of ebony for each
face...got it in Indonesia when I lived there decades ago when there were very large solid pieces of
ebony available in our forests
And some leisurely reading recommend for other audiophiles ~ |
